Manchester United: Worst Ever Starting XI

Sir Alex Ferguson's reign has been characterized by consistency—consistency in the face of adversity. In a span of over 25 years, Ferguson has seen the shuffling of several lineups, yet he has been able to make marquee signings, develop young potential and provide an overall splendid blend of youth and experience.

However, for every Roy Keane, there has been a Kleberson. For every Paul Scholes, a Juan Sebastian Veron. For every Peter Schmeichel, a Massimo Taibi.

Let us form the worst ever starting XI for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson's reign.

Goalkeeper: Massimo Taibi

He had been brought in for £4.5m in 1999 to fill the shoes of the great Dane, Peter Schmeichel. Suffice it to say, he was not fit to tie the laces.

He had a catastrophic start to his United career—conceding five goals against Chelsea and the most notable blunder against Southampton. He allowed a completely harmless Matt Le Tissier shot to roll straight through his legs, and this gaffe was all that United could stand.

Center Midfield: Juan Sebastian Veron

Juan Sebastian Veron is a fantastic player; let's get that out of the way.

However, for United, he did not live up to the exorbitant price tag at £28.1m, and he had a disastrous campaign.

At the time Veron was signed, United already had David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs occupying the midfield area. Bringing in Veron only added discord—none of the playmaking skills he had been brought in for.

His role in the team forced Scholes to play as a supporting striker, a role that he despised so incredibly that he refused to board the bus to a League Cup tie against Arsenal.

Center Midfield: Owen Hargreaves

He only made 20 league appearances for United in his 18 month stint, and he was shipped to Aston Villa. He could not hold a place even there.

Djemba-Djemba had been brought in to fill in Roy Keane's void. Can you imagine a player who could not even hold a place at Aston Villa after having been shipped from United, to fill Keane's shoes?

And off the pitch, he lived the life of a billionaire, owning a fleet of 10 4x4 cars and 30 different bank accounts. Djemba-Djemba, a man supposed to be so good as to have been named twice, was playing at Qatar at the age of 26.

However, despite all of his notoriety, I think Owen Hargreaves deserves this spot.

He was once heralded as one of the best midfielders in Europe. However, his United stint was characterized by crippling injuries which restricted his playing time, and he was released by United in 2011.

Most United fans, like me, were delighted that a club, despite the club being City, had signed him and we wished him well.

Yet he retorted sharply back at United, criticizing United for the handling of his injuries and proclaiming himself a "guinea pig."